Rank high on partying, low on studying

UF, FSU

August 9, 2013|By Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel

Florida college students sure know how to party, but they may not know how to study, the latest rankings from Princeton Review suggest.

The University of Florida and Florida State University were well represented on the publication's annual list, with UF being ranked the sixth best party school, the third best place to find beer and the 11th best place to find hard liquor.

FSU wasn't far behind, ranking as the 12th best party school and the seventh best place to find beer.

But on a more sobering note, UF, FSU and the University of Central Florida all placed in the top 20 for having students who study the least.

College officials weren't raising a glass to the rankings, which are compiled using student surveys.

"We've always been perplexed by this particular survey and its questionable methodology," said Jeanette De Diemar, assistant vice president for university relations at FSU. "Like most college students, FSU students have active social lives, and are able to strike a balance between participating in social activities and rigorous academic pursuits."

The University of Miami was ranked third in a more favorable category, most interaction between different races and classes of people.

"Our students are global in their backgrounds, their interests and their education," said Patricia A. Whitely, UM's vice president for student affairs. "We constantly strive to provide an experience that furthers each student's perspective and broadens their cultural understanding."

And students at New College of Florida know how to put the liberal in liberal arts. The tiny Sarasota school was the sixth best for left leaning students, the third most LGBT friendly and the 11th best place for "Birkenstock-wearing, tree-hugging, clove-smoking vegetarians."

The Princeton Review only ranks schools it considers the 378 best in the country, although the public Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and private Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, made a separate list of best regional colleges.